Day 11. The Road Less Travelled.

The Road Less Travelled

On the road less travelled when the journey began

Quaint whispers became my light when I saw no man

My feet ached and felt heavy even with the broken chains

Pulled me back to which appeared the safe haven

But I moved ahead to the world of my dreams

Which bore no look, had no rainbow, no streams

In the world of darkness holding tight onto my desires

I walked the road less travelled till the fire

It was where the world ceased to exist

The clocks didn’t click and lifted were the mists

In there was everything which brought me home

Yes, it was my hearth. I had seen it and was not unknown

The walls were tall, not bright but charred

The drapes not fine but torn

There was a chair not royal for a throne

And the room looked forlorn

In that moment when I was forgotten

I commanded those who belittled me often

To make peace with my wrath and bury the fury

To clear the entangling webs which made me quarry

I chose to dig them deep

Who swindled me and made me weep

There were new skies beyond the window

And new buds waiting to be kissed

With the warmth of a new life

Born out of peace and not anger

I held all that was mine

Overwhelmed with winning over the bygone I shine

Where my hearts searches new roots

To grow a new love free from hurt, aloof of pain

Day 10. Between You and Me

Between You and Me

Enrapt in the noises around

Do you hear the sounds within?

Peace eludes your gray smile

But yet you drink from the glitter and gleam

Should you ask where my happiness lies

To me my heart tells no way

To be in love or stay away

To be in love and stay possessed is all it knows

A deep longing stays within you and me

For we have to still realise our dreams

Between our hearts there are mountains which know no bounds

Our skies are different and the wind knows no way through

Perhaps there will be a time when we will be part of dust again

Then we will start a new journey

To cross each other one more time

It will be but with a thousand deaths to live

Until then my friend lets travel these roads a few more times …

Day 9. A day spent doodling

So friends how is your weekend going? Grab these last few hours left in your hand before the Monday blues hit you. Well I had a busy lazy day. Morning till late afternoon busy settling household chores and then relaxing through the late afternoon when I realised that the post for today has not been done yet. And as I have indulged in two short stories back to back here, decided to do something different today.

Doodle art has been fascinating me for quite some time now and I thought that the day was just perfect for trying my hands on it. So this is what I ended up doing for the past an hour and a half or so. May be not perfect but I am happy with the results for a beginner. Since it is intricate, it engrosses you completely and serves as a stress buster also. I completely loved my first doodling session. Hope you like my attempt too. And on my recommendation try this art for once to realise its therapeutic effect.

Yes, we create our own calm and I just did mine. Sorry for the poor picture quality. I realise that my phone needs a change. 

Day 8. How Blue is My Sapphire - Part 4.

You catch up with previous parts here. 

She was happy with Nick and I was happy for her. Her happiness was my only wish. We were contained in our own defined space but those days came to an end which was quite unthought-of. Nick was in India on a project and his company decided to shuffle its employees with his name also featuring in the list. Nick and Choti were not prepared for this but they made their decisions. Nick went back to Australia, but not alone. I vividly remember that day when Choti came to declare our separation. I could have not stopped her, not for any binding reason. She left to leave an unfelt void behind and we never heard from each other. Finding me here would not have been difficult for her. But why is she back after so many years! Her words traced on the telegram echoed inside. My heart swayed with mixed emotions pulling me apart. I don’t know how I will react when I see her. Which part of me will react first. My thoughts also meandered as I steered my way to home. It was already lunch time when I reached back.

Entering inside my own place today gave an alien feel as if I was never here before. With heaviness in my legs and a throbbing head I entered inside. I knew the room where she would be but instead of taking a left from the courtyard to her room and rushing towards her, my legs took me away in the opposite direction. I settled on the single cot of my room. May be I will catch up with her on lunch. I felt like an escapist for no reason. I never did anything wrong but still I felt like one. Her room which was opposite to mine looked unapproachable with closed doors. I moved towards the bathroom to take a quick shower which I needed badly. Hari was in the room taking out my change when I came out. ‘Saab, when did you get back? Should I serve the lunch?’ Hari takes a break after lunch and comes back by the time of evening tea. He was already late today. ‘Yes Hari. Tell memsaab also to join for lunch. She must be hungry.’ Hari left and my heart began to pump up.

We meet like strangers at the dining table. At least she looked like one to me. We talked about her journey and other meager issues while I tried to observe beyond her aged skin. Her hair grayed in beautiful streaks and she had not dyed them as she always used to say. She no longer laughed. There were brief smiles which touched her lips and left almost immediately. Her eyes seemed dull and weak as she wore golden rimmed glasses. There was some casual chatter while Hari served us the food. ‘Hari, you may leave now. We will close the table.’ I relieved Hari. We might take time settling scores.

A thick cloud of silence and lugubriousness engulfed the dining room as Hari left only to be occasionally cleared by the clutter of the silver, taken out especially for the moment. I was mostly quiet even though I had questions within. Me being me, will not speak first. ‘So how are you?’ She could only break the ice. ‘I am good. I am good’ I reiterated asserting my well being or may be pronouncing it to reflect that I can be. ‘And you?’ I finally ask.

‘I am good too.’ Keeping her eyes fixated on the plate she spoke.

‘Where are you these days and what do you do? And how is Nick?’ I couldn’t stop myself further. Knowing Choti, this should be enough to give out her whole story. You had to just prick at the right place and she would just open up in front of anyone without any inhibitions. ‘My life is like an open book.’ She always said.

‘I was in Australia all these years working for an Indian IT firm there but took a transfer few years back. I am in Bangalore these days. In the same old city.’ This time she looked at me and our past together flashed in front of my eyes. The way we met on a bus stop on a stormy day, our further meetings on the same bus stop and then both us getting the same engineering college after the combined entrance and our decade together thereafter, everything still seemed so recent.

‘And when did you shift back here? What do you do here apart from painting such brilliant stuff?’ She moved the cursor towards me after her brief reply.

‘I came back an year after you left Bangalore. My mother had passed away and this place needed me. Not that I kept it in good shape but I am fine here. I don’t need to do anything for my living. There is enough money which comes from the farms. I can be me here and I am doing good. What brings you here.’ I quickly finished, throwing the ball in her court again with the discourteous question but I wanted to hear more from her.

‘Oh. So you are not happy to see me after so many years and want to know why I have come disturbing your peace here!’ I saw her lost mischievous smile and it relaxed me a bit but could not release my anger.

‘Yes. I want to know why you are here after such a long time to disturb my peace again when you left 25 years back without even thinking twice about me. Now why are you back? When you didn’t even bother to find out about me in all these years? What makes you feel that you can decide when you will touch lives of people around and then leave them unannounced the very next moment?’ I stopped to clear the lump in my throat, but before I could vent my wrath again on my Choti, she got up.

‘I never knew you think like this about me Jai.’ She rarely addressed me by my name. She turned towards her room. Walked a few steps but turned back. I never saw a tear in her eyes before. She said, ‘tears are a sign of weakness. And I am not a weak person.’

‘We were doing good together. Nick was the best thing that had ever happened to me. But our happiness was very short lived. We were to get married. My family was in Australia to bless us into our journey to the most beautiful days of our life. But the journey never started. Just two days before our wedding, Nick died in a car accident. My parents wanted me to come back then only but I wanted to stay back. I was carrying a life within me. Nick was so happy Jai. I was so happy but Nick left us. I gathered myself because I was going to be a mother soon and I felt blessed when Alice was born. But how ruthless can life be at times. Alice was born with an incurable disease. Both of us struggled for her life. She was a born champ. But my beautiful fighter lost 5 years back, leaving me all alone in this world. I could not stay in Australia any further so took a transfer. I have been trying to find you for years but only could manage a break through now.’ She could no longer hold back her tears.

I got up and took her to my arms. We sat in the courtyard, together but yet alone.

‘I am starting an orphanage and wanted you to help me in this endeavor. Earlier I was thinking if you could help me with the management but now I am sure you can teach the kids some painting as well.’ Her smile this time was free of the pain she stored for years. I smiled too. I got my life back.

Hari was surprised to hear sounds of laughter coming out of the house which had become reclusive of this place long ago. 

Hope you liked the story friends. Have a fabulous weekend ahead. See you tomorrow.

Day 7. How Blue is My Sapphire Part 3.

Sorry friends for posting this so late in the day. It was quite hectic day for me and could take out time now to move ahead with the story. Well I thought I would end it today but it seems the ‘Kahani’ doesn’t want to. So we will keep the ending for some other day. Till then hope you will like this Third part of the story. You can catch up with the earlier parts here in Part I and Part II. Happy reading.

But she was surprised that despite his distressing childhood memories in this house, he chose to stay here for the rest of his life. There were rooms around the courtyard of the single-storied building which appeared dark even at this hour of day. Hari settled, her luggage in one of the rooms which looked as others but it had a cooler to beat the summer heat. Its ringing sound disturbed the silence of the house. Choti was crossing rooms to reach her designated abode for the day but stopped before one of the rooms just before her own. She was intrigued to find an easel not far from the door, standing right there facing her and making an authoritative presence even in that dark room. Choti could not stop at the door, her feet guided her and she moved in like a demoniac soul. Hari observed her moving inside the room and followed to put on the light. As soon as the room came to life, Choti was amazed to find an array of masterpieces lying casually against the wall, some on easels occupying the room in a haphazard manner and some stacked behind one another. Mostly the paintings were featuring childhood in different forms but there were some abstract as well. They all were exquisite. She never knew that her Bondhu painted therefore the visuals in front took her to surprise. ‘Has saab painted these?’ She asked Hari, who was still there in the room. ‘Yes memsaab. This is what he is occupied with the entire day when he is not playing with Sunny. And now even Sunny won’t be there.’ Hari wiped his moist eyes. ‘Sunny!’ Choti was perplexed. ‘Our dog.’ ‘Oh. Okay.’ She spoke with her brows relaxing to bring back the calmness on her face. ‘So why Sunny won’t be there?’ ‘Sunny had not been keeping well for a very long time now so he was decided to be put to rest today. Saab has gone for that only. He should be back now.’ And Hari turned to leave her alone. Soon there was again that deafening silence in the room and the world around in the house. ‘Not bad Mr. Jai.’ Choti smiled and moved out of the room.

It must have been around an hour, sitting on that parched piece of land and it was getting difficult to be there any further. I have been sweating badly and felt a bit dizzy by now. There was a continuous rumbling inside, affected by the diametrically opposite emotions attacking me not taking their turns. The deep sadness brought in by the demise of Sunny was now being slowly taken over by a strange impulsiveness. It was not that I was not happy with Choti knocking back in life again but there were so many questions webbed in my mind. And what a day has been chosen to throw something like this on me. I was shaken and torn apart when she left me. I didn’t want to possess her but I wanted her around even when I knew she can’t be with me by just being there for times forever. She reassured my existence and made me feel the life that was around me in her own boisterous way. Even when we didn’t understand each other well, there was an inexplicable connect, which would make us be together for hours and not say a word. Sometimes uniting over such pristine moments of silence is what you need to call someone your soul mate. But then I never thought like this. I never thought that she is my soul mate. May be she was not. She was a soul which could not be possessed. But her presence around had become a pill of life for me. She would always laugh and make others like me at least smile. Her laughter would make others think that why is she always so happy. It astonished the gloomy people around. She was outrageous and free from all inhibitions. She would do things without even thinking twice. The so called social norms failed to cage this free bird. There was nothing common in us but she always said that she feels herself with me. The openness with which she embraced life made her look approachable and often misunderstood. I felt like a protector at times. I was ready to fight anything and everything which came in between her infectious smile and that incessant laughter. She was happy with Nick and I was happy for her. Her happiness was my only wish.

Day 6. How Blue is my Sapphire - Part 2

Welcome back to the second part of the story. I have purposefully kept this portion brief as it was dealing with a sensitive topic. Hoping to see you back here for the next part of the story.

Its time. Her train would be arriving in another half an hour. Hari would be at the station to receive and get her home, before I reach. My mind fluttered anxiously and failed to be anywhere, my heart perplexed whether it wanted the time to cease or run fast. While I was caught up meandering, Dr Farhad’s car moved in at a slow pace over the undulating ground. Animals always possess a stronger sixth sense than us. Sunny although half asleep could read my impatience and clung closer to me. I stepped out of the car leaving the post procedure requirements in the car. Dr Farhad also was out by now with his grey briefcase bearing peace for my Sunny. I had already placed a folding plastic table covered with a white cloth where the spot would be. It will be a two step procedure, Dr had told me already.

‘So are we ready?’ asked Dr Farhad calmly and I gave a brief nod.

‘You will have to place Sunny on the table, Jai. If you think you won’t be able to handle it, you can sit in the car.’ He was plain, cold and experienced. Maybe the professional acumen of doctors kills their sensitivity. But I won’t go. I snuggled Sunny for one more time and he opened his wet eyes. His painful eyes didn’t seek any answers but it pierced me within. The misery of separation took over the physical ailments of Sunny.  I placed him on the table, he lay stretched, submissive and prepared.

The doc placed his briefcase on the table next to sunny and took out syringe and the two small glass bottles, which would make Sunny’s pain cease for now and forever. Dr Farhad inserted the first liquid into the feeble veins of Sunny. He stretched even further; reaching his hands towards me, may be trying to feel me one more time. I took his hands in mine and clasped as I always did. The warmth of my hands relaxed him and his head rested against his hands. His mouth drooled and tongue hung out. The doc waited for five minutes and made the final lethal blow. Sunny was gone. I took him into my arms and tears rolled down my cheeks feeling the summer heat on the body. Dr Farhad came near and with his right hand on my shoulder and in a composed voice asked me to move ahead and let Sunny be one with the elements. I wiped my tears and with a nod rested Sunny on the table. His resting place was already dug by Hari in the morning. I wrapped Sunny in a white cloth and laid him in the holed up earth. Dr Farhad got the flowers and the tombstone from my car. As I placed the mud on wrapped Sunny, a few more tears trickled down. The tombstone said, ‘In the loving memory of my friend, my companion, my life. Sunny. 1990-2015.’ Dr Farhad patted on my shoulders and tried to lift me up but I wanted to be there for some time. ‘Alright Jai. Take care of yourself. I will have to leave now. There must be people waiting in the clinic. And you also leave in sometime. It is very hot today. You will get dehydrated.’ I got up and shook hands with him in gratitude. Words kept struggling inside.

Meanwhile the railway station at Kishorgadh went dead again after the last train moved out. Hari and Choti were already on their way home. Choti got out of the car and gingerly stepped into the old and battered house. The name plate on the walls bore Jai’s name. The house has not been painted in years. There were places where the dried paint had come out dragging a layer of cement along with. Stepping into the central courtyard, Choti could relate to the childhood stories of Jai. But she was surprised that despite his distressing childhood memories in this house, he chose to stay here for the rest of his life.

Hope you are liking the stories here. Keep coming back as this month we are going to have some interesting story lines in this blogathon.

Day 5. Wordless Wednesday - 08

On Day 5 of the blogathon I bring you a photo feature. I know those following the story from yesterday would be disappointed but surely the second part of the story will be served to you tomorrow. For today I invite captions for the picture below which I clicked in Mc Leodganj some time back.

This post is linked to Wordless Wednesday